In image forming apparatuses such as laser printers, sheets (recording mediums) are separated from each other and fed one by one while being sandwiching between a sheet feeding roller and a sheet feeding pad. Consequently, paper dusts (paper powders) are generated on the sheet due to rubbing between the sheet and the sheet feeding pad. When such paper dusts are mixed into toner or adhered to a formed image, quality of the image is lowered.
Thus, a paper dust collecting roller charged with static electricity is provided at a position in confrontation with a conveying roller provided on a sheet conveying path, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,219,505, 6,415,119, 6,505,019, and 6,708,009 and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2001/026705 (these are related to Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2003-81477). At rotation of the paper dust collecting roller, the paper dusts generated on the sheet are collected by the paper dust collecting roller. In addition, the paper dusts collected by the paper dust collecting roller are scraped off by a scraping member (paper dust removing member) which is disposed in contact with the paper dust collecting roller and formed of a sponge or the like. Then, the paper dusts scraped by the scraping member are conveyed by a paper dust conveying unit and stored in a paper dust storing unit.